Potential of Ethiopian mustard, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica carinata</Emphasis> as a trap crop for large white butterfly, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pieris brassicae</Emphasis> infesting Indian mustard, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica juncea</Emphasis>     

Sarwan Kumar 《Journal of pest science》2017,90(1):129-137

The large white butterfly, Pieris brassicae (L.), is an important pest of Indian mustard, Brassica juncea (L.) Czern., and inflicts heavy damage to all the above ground plant parts with strong yield reducing impacts. Farmers have few practical options other than to spray insecticides to protect their crop. In this study, an attempt was made during 2012–2013 and 2013–2014 crop seasons at Ludhiana, India, to evaluate Ethiopian mustard, Brassica carinata A. Braun as a trap crop to manage this pest as an alternate pest management strategy. B. carinata borders surrounding B. juncea were compared to chemically protected B. juncea and control (without B. carinata borders) plots for their effects on P. brassicae infestation and grain yield. Oviposition preference of adult butterflies was studied in a two-choice test in field cages, while the effect of two host plants on larval performance was studied under laboratory conditions under no choice conditions. B. juncea plots bordered with B. carinata harbored significantly lower larval population compared to control B. juncea plots during both the seasons. The grain yield in the bordered plots was also significantly higher than that from control plots and was statistically non-significant from that obtained in chemically protected plots. Female butterflies showed distinct oviposition preference for B. carinata over B. juncea and the larvae reared on B. carinata completed development in shorter period and grew bigger and heavier than those reared on B. juncea. Results indicated that B. carinata has potential to be used as trap crop to manage P. brassicae.  相似文献   

Assessment of Methods for Measuring Soil Microbial Biomass Carbon in Temperate Fruit Tree-Based Ecosystems     

Sovan Debnath  Ashok Kumar Patra  Tapan Jyoti Purakayastha 《Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis》2017,48(21):2534-2543

We investigated the potential of three methods of quantifying microbial biomass carbon (MBC), viz., chloroform fumigation-extraction (CFE) following organic C estimation through Vance method (CFE-V) and Snyder–Trofymow method (CFE-ST), and substrate-induced respiration (SIR) method in soils under various temperate fruit crops along with a control (no plantation) at 0–20 and 21–40 cm soil depths. CFE methods have shown significant (p < 0.05) increase in chloroform labile C in all orchards over the control in surface soil. The interaction between the fruit crops and methods, although significant (p < 0.01), indicated that CFE-ST and SIR methods were statistically at par with each other within the same fruit crop, except peach plantation (CEF-ST significantly lower than SIR) in 0–20 cm soil depth. The coefficient of variation recorded for chloroform labile organic C estimates by CFE-ST method makes it more precise than CFE-V method, especially in 0–20 cm soil depth. The very close agreement between the methods suggests that over this narrower range (i.e., smaller geographical area) all methods are appropriate for assessing MBC. However, SIR, being most sensitive to orchard plantations and strongly correlated with various soil chemical properties, could preferably be recommended for estimation of MBC in such soils. As an alternative to CFE-V method, CFE-ST may also be used for estimation of chloroform labile organic C in these soils.  相似文献   

Removal of As(III) from Aqueous Solution Using Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> Nanoparticles: Process Modeling and Optimization Using Statistical Design     

Uttam Kumar Sahu  Manoj Kumar Sahu  Siba Sankar Mahapatra  Raj Kishore Patel 《Water, air, and soil pollution》2017,228(1):45

In this study, Extran (biodegradable surfactant) was used for the preparation of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles by microemulsion process to improve removal efficiency of As(III) from aqueous solution. Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, FTIR, FESEM, TEM, HRTEM, and VSM instrumental techniques. The effect of different parameters such as adsorbent dose, initial As(III) concentration, and solution pH were studied by response surface methodology (RSM) based on Box-Behnken design (BBD). The optimized condition for adsorption of As(III) from aqueous solution was obtained as adsorbent dose of 0.70 mg/g, solution pH of 7.7, and initial As(III) concentration of 33.32 mg/L. In this optimum condition, about 90.5% of As(III) was removed from the aqueous solution. Isotherm studies have been done at optimal condition, and it was observed that the Langmuir isotherm models were fitted well with experimental data having a high correlation coefficient of 0.993. From the Langmuir isotherm data, the maximum adsorption capacity of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles was found to be 7.18 mg/g at pH 7.7 in room temperature. This study revealed that Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles can be used as an efficient, eco-friendly, and effective material for the adsorptive removal of As(III) from aqueous system.  相似文献   

Evaluation of a Suitable Extractant and Determination of Critical Limit of Boron in Soil and Mustard (Brassica Juncea L.) Plant by Various Extractants in Inceptisols of Varanasi     

Shobh Nath Yadav  Omkar Kumar  A. M. Latare  Manish Kumar 《Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis》2017,48(10):1145-1153

Pot culture experiment was conducted to evaluate the suitability of extractants and to determine the critical limit of boron (B) in soil and mustard plant in Inceptisols of Varanasi. Twenty-one bulk soil collected from different locations were used for growing mustard. Five extractants, namely hot water, hot 0.01molar (M) calcium chloride (CaCl₂), 0.01M CaCl₂ + 0.05 M mannitol, 1.0 M ammonium acetate (NH₄OAC) and 0.05 M hydrochloric acid (HCl), were assessed by correlating the amount of extractable B in untreated and B fertilizer-treated soil with Bray’s per cent yield, plant tissue B concentration and B uptake by mustard. Similarly, correlation coefficients of the B extracted by different extractants and soil properties were calculated. The suitability of B extracted by different extractants was in the order of hot 0.01M CaCl₂ (HCC-B) > hot water (HW-B) > 1.0 M NH₄OAC (AA-B) > 0.05M HCl (HA-B) > 0.01M CaCl₂ + 0.05M mannitol (CCM-B). The critical limits of extractable B in soil as determined by the graphical procedure were 0.54, 0.60, 0.36, 0.45 and 0.45 mg kg^?1 and the statistical procedures were 0.54, 0.60, 0.38, 0.46 and 0.48 mg kg^?1 with HW-B, HCC-B, CCM-B, AA-B and HA-B, respectively. Soil containing available B below the critical limit responded to B fertilization.  相似文献   

Agronomic bio-fortification and quality enhancement in okra–pea cropping system through arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi at varying phosphorus and irrigation regimes in Himalayan acid alfisol     

Anil Kumar  Anil K. Choudhary 《Journal of plant nutrition》2017,40(8):1213-1229

A field experimentation was conducted during 2009-2011 at CSK Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University, Palampur, India characterized with wet-temperate climate and acid Alfisol soil having medium available phosphorus content. The study aimed at bio-fortification and quality enhancement of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus)–pea (Pisum sativum) cropping system through arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) (Glomus mosseae) at varying inorganic phosphorus (50, 75, and 100% soil-test-based recommended P dose) and irrigation regimes (40 and 80% available water capacity) in a Himalayan acid Alfisol. The results revealed that AMF and inorganic P significantly enhanced the concentrations and uptake of various primary [nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K)]; secondary [calcium (Ca)]; and micronutrients [iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), boron (B), and molybdenum (Mo)] in okra and pea crops. However, effects of varying irrigation regimes were found to be nominal. In okra, AMF inoculation considerably enhanced N, P, K, B, and Mo uptake by 5, 19, 3, 4, and 15%, respectively, over their non-AMF counterparts. Likewise in pea, a higher amount of N (10%), P (26%), K (7%), Fe (7%), Cu (38%), Zn (20%), Mn (4%), B (7%), and Mo (13%) uptake was registered through AMF inoculation over their non-AMF counterparts. Application of soil-test-based P dose from 50% to 100% P also resulted in significant and consistent improvement in N, P, K, B, and Mo uptake both in okra and pea and in Zn, Cu, Mn, and Fe uptake in pea crop. Magnitude of increase in Ca content was to the tune of 13 and 4%, respectively, in okra fruits and pea pods following AMF inoculation, whereas crude protein content enhanced by 4% each in both the crops. Overall, the current study demonstrates the important role of AMF in nutrient enrichment and quality enhancement of okra and pea crops in acid Alfisol, besides considerable reduction in investment on chemical fertilizers. Results of current study suggest that AMF use in Himalayan production systems is of tremendous significance to harvest nutritionally-rich farm produce for Himalayan communities suffering from malnutrition especially anemia and Zn deficiency, and equally to resource-poor Himalayan farmers who ill-afford expensive external inputs.  相似文献   

Scaling-up of boron sources for yield and quality of large seeded peanut cultivars under varied agro-ecological conditions in India     

A. L. Singh  A. Zala  H. Bariya  S. Kumar  Y. S. Ramakrishna 《Journal of plant nutrition》2017,40(19):2756-2767

Boron (B) deficiency is a common factor in light-textured soils causing poor pod filling and yield in large seeded peanut. Field trials were conducted in soils having 0.20–0.45 mg kg^?1 available B to find out the effectiveness of commercial-grade B sources in large seeded peanuts. B application induced early flowering, increased pods, yield and yield attributes, shelling and 100-seed weight. Soil application of 2.0 kg B ha^?1 as commercial-grade Agricol, Solubor and Borosol increased these parameters to a similar degree as obtained by borax, but were superior over their foliar applications. Similarly, the responses of foliar applications of 1.0 kg B ha^?1 as Chemiebor, Solubor and Borosol were more effective in humid areas. However, foliar applications led to scorching of peanut leaves during dry weather. Thus, soil application of 2.0 kg B ha^?1 is essential to enhance productivity and pod filling in large seeded peanut.  相似文献   

Diversity analysis and evaluation of wild <Emphasis Type="Italic">Abelmoschus</Emphasis> species for agro-morphological traits and major biotic stresses under the north western agro-climatic condition of India     

K. K. Gangopadhyay  Ashish Singh  Manas Kumar Bag  Pragya Ranjan  T. V. Prasad  Anirban Roy  M. Dutta 《Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution》2017,64(4):775-790

The wild species in general is considered to be the reservoir of genes especially for biotic and abiotic stresses. In okra, the predominant biotic stresses are yellow vein mosaic disease (YVMD), shoot and fruit borer and leaf hopper. Sixty eight (68) accessions belonging to four wild Abelmoschus species [Abelmoschus caillei (A. Chev.) Stevels, Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medik., Abelmoschus moschatus (L.) Medik. and Abelmoschus tuberculatus Pal et Singh] and eight okra varieties were characterized and evaluated for phenological characters including biotic stresses under natural epiphytotic condition. The wild species examined consisted of 18 accessions (16 exotic and 2 indigenous) of A. caillei, 29 accessions of A. manihot, 16 accessions of A. moschatus and 5 accessions of A. tuberculatus. All the wild Abelmoschus species exhibited high diversity (as measured by Shannon Diversity Index) for 3 qualitative characters viz. intensity of stem colour, leaf shape, epicalyx shape, 13 quantitative characters and 3 biotic stress parameters. Among the wild species, A. caillei and A. tuberculatus showed maximum and minimum diversity for qualitative characters, respectively. There was significant variation for 19 out of 24 quantitative characters studied. Inter-species diversity pattern as estimated through Ward’s Minimum Variance Dendrogram and Principal Component Analysis revealed clear differentiation among the species with minimum overlapping indicating close association between geographical origins and clustering pattern. Intra-species diversity indicated role of specific adaptation in sub-clustering. Resistance to YVMD was found in accessions belonging to three wild species viz. A. caillei, A. manihot and A. moschatus while resistance to shoot and fruit borer and leaf hopper was found in accessions of all the four wild species. The resistant accessions can further be used for introgressing biotic stress resistance through pre-breeding into cultivated okra species.  相似文献   

Infrared Thermal Imaging: A Practical Educational Tool to Improve Smallholder Farmer Postharvest Practice in Fiji     

Steven J. R. Underhill  Salesh Kumar 《Journal Of Agricultural & Food Information》2017,18(2):75-80

Here we discuss the novel application of handheld infrared thermal imagery as a learning tool to help smallholder farmers improve postharvest temperature management. Farmers in the Fiji Islands were trained in using a handheld thermal camera to view a series of on-farm demonstrations highlighting the consequence of poor postharvest practice. We observed that smallholder farmers accurately interpreted thermal imagery and the implication of poor practices. Our results showed thermal imagery has the potential to better communicate fundamental concepts of postharvest management. The availability of a range of iPhone, iPad, and Android platforms also means this technology can be widely accessible.  相似文献   

Comparative cytotoxicity evaluation of lanthanide nanomaterials on mouse and human cell lines with metabolic and DNA-quantification assays     

Heng BC  Das GK  Zhao X  Ma LL  Tan TT  Ng KW  Loo JS 《Biointerphases》2010,5(3):FA88-FA97

Lanthanide nanomaterials are considered a less toxic alternative to quantum dots for bioimaging applications. This study evaluated the cytotoxicity of terbium (Tb)-doped gadolinium oxide (Gd(2)O(3)) and dysprosium oxide (Dy(2)O(3)) nanoparticles exposed to human (BEAS-2B) and mouse (L929) cell lines at a concentration range of 200-2000?μg/ml for 48 h. Two assay methods were utilized-WST-8 assay (colorimetric) based on mitochondrial metabolic activity and Pico-Green assay (fluorescence), which measures total DNA content. The authors' data showed that Tb-doped Gd(2)O(3) nanoparticles were consistently more toxic than Tb-doped Dy(2)O(3) nanoparticles. However, exposure to these nanomaterials caused a decrease in proliferation rate for both cell lines rather than a net loss of viable cells after 48 h of exposure. Additionally, there was some degree of discrepancy observed with the two assay methods. For the mouse L929 cell line, the WST-8 assay yielded consistently lower proliferation rates compared to the Pico-Green assay, whereas the opposite trend was observed for the human BEAS-2B cell line. This could arise because of the differential effects of these nanoparticles on the metabolism of L929 and BEAS-2B cells, which in turn may translate to differences in their postexposure proliferation rates. Hence, the Pico-Green assay could have an advantage over the WST-8 assay because it is not skewed by the differential effects of nanomaterials on cellular metabolism.  相似文献   

Effects on rice plant morphology and physiology of water and associated management practices of the system of rice intensification and their implications for crop performance   总被引：1，自引：1，他引：0  

Amod K. Thakur  Sreelata Rath  D. U. Patil  Ashwani Kumar 《Paddy and Water Environment》2011,9(1):13-24

Field experiments were conducted in Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India, during the dry season (January–May) in 2008 and 2009 to investigate whether practices of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), including alternate wetting and drying (AWD) during the vegetative stage of plant growth, could improve rice plants’ morphology and physiology and what would be their impact on resulting crop performance, compared with currently recommended scientific management practices (SMP), including continuous flooding (CF) of paddies. With SRI practices, grain yield was increased by 48% in these trials at the same time, there was an average water saving of 22% compared with inundated SMP rice. Water productivity with AWD-SRI management practices was almost doubled (0.68 g l⁻¹) compared to CF-SMP (0.36 g l⁻¹). Significant improvements were observed in the morphology of SRI plants in terms of root growth, plant/culm height, tiller number per hill, tiller perimeter, leaf size and number, leaf area index (LAI), specific leaf weight (SLW), and open canopy structure. These phenotypic improvements of the AWD-SRI crop were accompanied by physiological changes: greater xylem exudation rate, crop growth rate, mean leaf elongation rate (LER), and higher light interception by the canopy compared to rice plants grown under CF-SMP. SRI plants showed delayed leaf senescence and greater light utilization, and they maintained higher photosynthetic rates during reproductive and grain-filling stages. This was responsible for improvement in yield-contributing characteristics and higher grain yield than from flooded rice with SMP. We conclude that SRI practices with AWD improve rice plants’ morphology, and this benefits physiological processes that result in higher grain yield and water productivity.  相似文献